Lateral motion mechanism



. 1'. H. sYMlNG-roN LATERAL MOTION ECHANISM May 19, 1931 Filed July l2, 1928 `2 Sheets-Sheet l May 19, 1931. T. H. SYMINGTON `806,097

I LATERAL MOTION MECHANISM Filled July 12. 1928 2 sheets-sheetv '2 il@ without increasing th,

Patented May 19, 1931 THOMAS SYMINGTON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO T. H. SYMINGTON 6a SON, ING., OF BQIrTIMOB/E, MARYLAND, A CORPORATIGII OF MARYLAND Lernens Morton MEGHANISM Application filed July 12, 1928.

lo passage of cars over curved track and Vto reduce lateral pressure and shocks between the wheel flanges and rails. There is avast number of cars in operation equipped with these mountings popularly known as the `Barber lateral motion devices. In such equipnient which is now recognized as standard, the travel of the bolster in either direction is actually one inch and the lift, resulting from the coaction n of curvedv surfaces with the lateral motion rollers, is three-sixteenths or" an inch. The purpose in providing curved or inclined surfaces for coaction with the rollers and producing a lift is to eiect return of the bolster to. normal or intermediate position upon the cessation of the force tending to cause lateral motion in one direction or the other. As a matter of fact, experience has demonstrated that the standard lift above mentioned is insuflicient to absorb the lateral forces without material shock on the side frames.

.I have discovered that by increasing the lift of the truck bolster upon the occurrence of lateral motion the lift .or upward thrust will be suiiicient to absorb the lateral forces without shock to the side `iframes, thereby exercising a dampening effect on car roll such as results from synchronization of the periods of vibration of the truck springs with passage of the Vcar wheelsv over rail joints.

berI type but arranged to increase the lift and also the travel of the bolster.

Anotherobject ot the invention is to provide a structure of this character in which the increased lift and travel may be obtained angularity of the ifa- Serial No. 292,186.

elined surfaces coacting with the rollers beyond the maximum degreeat which the rollers. will roll instead of slipping.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a lateralv motion device ory structurel of this type in which the surfaces coasting with the rollers are of such shape as'to insure proper bearing at the normal or intermediate position and to insure a positive recentering after lateral motionoccurs and the force tending to produce the same ceases.

A more specific object ofthe invention is to provide a lateral motion device located with-in the confines or" the side frames and embodying` rollers recessed into the underside of 'I the` bolster and operating upon a member supported directly upon `the nest of truck springs. Y

The 'invention furthe-rcontemplates the provision or dii'ierently shaped surfacesfor coaction with the rollers all being of such form, however, as to pro-duce the increased lift and travel.

An additional object is to provide a structure of this character which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install, positive in action, etlcient and durable in service, and a general improvement in the art.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects and advantages, the invention preferably consists in the details of construction and the arrangement andcombination or" parts to be hereinafter more fully described andr claimed, and' illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a view through a y,car truck longitudinally of the bolster, parts being in elevation and other parts being broken away and in section, y v Y v Figure 2 is a horizontal section through one side frame looking down upon the bolster, a portion of the latter being broken awayto expose the'lateral motion mounting,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing one shape for the surfaces coacting withy the rollers,

Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating a different shape,

` within which vare located the reduced ends 3 0f the truck bolster l which carries a center bearing 5 for the center plate 6 depending from the body bolster 7. The truck bolster is represented as carrying conventional side bearings 8 with which coact deiwndinq` bearing elements 9 carried by the body bolster. The center plate 6, body bolster 7 and bearing` elements 9 form no part of the present invention and h ence are illustrated bv means of dot and dash lines. Mounted within. the window openings is the usual spring planlr 10 upon the end portions of which are mounted the spring` nests 11 which include cans 12. The springs themselves are illustrated only diagrammatically at 13.

In accordance with my invention I provide a lat-eral motion device which comprises a seat member mounted on top of the spring nest and supporting rollers 14 which coact with bearing surfaces, to be described. on the bolster. The seat member, indicated generally at 15, comprises a body 16 formed as a casting and of a size somewhat greater than the spring nest so as to fit there-over, there being a marginal flange 17 for preventing relative lateral displacement of the seat member and the spring nest, this flange extending outwardly of and entirely surrounding th spring cap 12. The seat member 15 has its top formed with peculiarly shaped surfaces 18, and the underside of the bolster is formed with peculiarly shaped surfaces 19 for c0- action with the rollers 14. It is possible that these surfaces may be varied `considerably insofar as exact shape is concerned and in Figures 3, l and 5 different alternate shapes are disclosed in detail as will be later described. The seat-'member 15 must necessarily be prevented from any lateral movement with respect to the side frame and it is therefore represented as having laterally extending lugs 2O located outwardly or inwardly (or both) of the edges of the pedestal guides as clearly indicated in Figure 2. By this particular arrangement it is clear that the seat member 15 may move vertically .as the springs 13 are deflected but cannot move in any other direction whereas the truck bolster l may move laterally of the truck in either direction, the degree of movement being limited by outwardlyextending stops 21 adapted to engage against the outer faces of the side frames at the pedestal guides or at the edges of the window opening. In orslipping of the rollers.

dinary standard practice the stops Q1 are so positioned as to permit a one inch movement of the truck bolster in either direction but in accordance with my invention the distance is increased so as to permit an actual movement of at least one and one-half inches, this having been discovered by actual experiment to be the most satisfactory to accomplish the desired results. e

It might erroneously be supposed that to accomplish the desired additional lift would require simply providing a steeper angularity or inclination in the surfaces which coact with theV rollers. Such, however, would not suliice inasmuch as it is well known that if the inclination of the surfaces which coact with the rollers be increased beyond a certain degree the rollers will not roll but will slip,thereby at least partially defeat-ing the purpose of the structure. ln the usual type of Barber device three rollers are provided located so close together that there is little if any room to increase the travel at the safe angularity or inclination and thereby effect an increased lift. preferably, though not necessarily, employ two of the rollers 14 arranged considerably farther apart than those in the standard Barber device and preferably located substantially over the centers the nests. By spacing the rollers farther apart it is clear that there is sufficient distance between them to prolong the inclined surfaces to a sufficientl extent to accomplish the desired additional lift without-danger of When reference is made to inclined surfaces, this should be construed to mean. curved surfaces or a combination of inclined' and curved surfaces,

as well, as these various possibilities are all`V contemplated and are considered as well within the scope of the invention. .By reducing the number of rollers' it is possible to increase the diameter thereof materially beyond that of the well known type so that the rolling action will be freer. On' account of this increase in diameter and also on account cf the necessity for maintaining the top of the bolster at the usual level, the rollers are disclosed as mounted partly Vwithin the bolster, the surfaces 19 thereof being upwardly offset with respect to the bottom edges of the bolster. Various mechanical details as to reinforcement, etc. may be provided as for example it is preferable to provide a longitudinal web 4a within the bolster at the end portions thereof above and merging into the bottom walls which are formed with the surfaces 19.

As pointed out supra certain definiteshapes of surfaces may be used to advantage. In Figure 3'the surfaces 22 and 23 corresponding to the surfaces 18 and 19 are somewhat similar and the former is shown as comprising a portion extending between thepolnts For this reason 1I of the springs in:

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2i formed; as` all, are of the' sa-ine radius: as thel roller. This, pomion merges into other .Curved port-ions ofY greater radius erf-tending between the points 2.4.: .andV 25 and Struck from the centers; indicated. These second curved portions terminate atV substantially the points where the usual surfaces in the Barber devicev would terminate and from these points these curved surfaces merge into. flat or plane vinclined, surfaces which are tangent thereto and: which extend from the points 25 tothe points 2 6. The; surface 23 comprises a central curved portion extending'between thepoints 27 and having a curvature greater than that of the roller. Actuallyit is convenient thatthe are forming this portion be formed by a radius equal to the diameter of the roller. 'Ihis central. curved portion merges into two less abruptly curved portions extending from the points-27 to the points 28-,.thex radius being materially greater than the diameter'of the roller and the points 28 are located.. approximately where the usual surfaces in the Barber device would terminate and from. these points, these curved portions merge into flat or pl'ane surfaces which aretaaigent thereto and' which extent between thepoints 28 and 29. Under'normal circumstances the rollers are located at their central: or intermediate positionsbetween the surfaces 22 and 23 and as the curved portion of the surface 22V between the points 24 is coincident with the circumference of each roller it is appa-rent. that there is at least a theoretical surface bearing of such shape that thel rollers. remain.,y in their normal positions except upon the occurrence of a positive force tending to move the bolstery laterally of the side frames, Furthermore, this curvature will act Vto returnthe rollers to norma-li or centra-l position after the'cessation' of the lateral motion producing force. The distance @between the points 24s and the dist-ancey a" between the points 27 may be the same though this is not necessary. The clistance between thel points V2fand 25 is indicated at Z) and the distance between the points 27 and 28 by Z9. rElie distances` a plus: or

a plus b equals the travel in theordinary type of lateral motion: device and the curvature of the surfaces is intended to be that which has been proved to be the maximum upc-n which rollers mayiroll with-out slipping. The distance c between the points'25' and 2:6 of the distance c between the points 28' and 29 represents the increase travel necessary to obtain the increased lifty which is desired in accordance with the objects of this invention. In Figure. 3` the normal position of the roller is shown by a sol-id line while the: positions at the end: ofthe usual travel: and at substantially the end of the increased travel are shown by broken lines.

In Figure t the `topl surfaces cooperating with the-rollers are shown as; identically the same as in Figure. 3. andthe same reference characters areconsequentlyemployed. Howeverthe bottom surfaces 30talring the place ofthe bottom surfaces 18 or 22 are. different so as to obtain two line bearings for each of thel rollers. The surface 30- is shown as comprising two similar curved portions eutending from tlfiezeentral point 32 to points33 struck from centers at opposite sides of the center line or axis of each roller when in normal position andhavi-ng a' radius considerably greater-thanl the diameter of the roller. On account of this form-ation each roller will contact with these curved-surfaces at, substantially the points 34, there being a slight space, read-ily perceptible inV Figure d, betweenthe periphery of the-roller and the pointwhere thesesurfaces intersect.. The distances Z between the center point 32V and the points 33 represent the' total travel-in .the ordinary type of lateralv motion roller device. Thesel curved surfaces merge into flat or plane but inclined surfaces which errtend from the points 33 tothe pointsl,` which surfaces arev tangent tothe curved surfaces andy which extend a distance e representing the increased travel necessary to obtain the additional lift desired. In view of the twolinecontact resulting from the peculiar shape ef the bottom surfaces 30? the rollers willalso tend to remain in neutral positionprior to the occurrence of'a positive force acting to-effeet lateral motion and?v by virtue of thisarrangement*theZ rollers willI always return to such neutral positionI upon the cessation of a force tending to. produce lateral moti-on.

Inf-Figure 5. there-I isshown Still another inodificationv in which the Vbottom surfaces 35` corresponding to the surfaces 18, 2201*30 are not cu-rved but areV simply inclined from the center pom-t3@l and made- Ofjsuch length thatl thel increased travel for the desired increased li'ft will be had., In. this` instance there is again a two-line Contact. at the points 37 between the rollers andthe surfaces ,35 for centering purposes. The upper 'surfaces 38- correspondi-ng to the surfaces 1.9

or 23 might'ofv courseI bey the4r same as illustrated in Fig-uresB` and l but are shownA as including a fla-t land or central portion eirtending betweenl the poi-nts '39 and. from which lead inclined surfaces'tO'.. The action in this instance isthe same as thatv above described,y the only difference being that the surfaces arel not curved at any portion errcept at the ends where it is immaterial?.

In connection with allthe formsof the device, it is ofI course apparent that the roller moves only one-half i-ts travel over the upper surface'andf one-half its travel over the-lower surface. In other words: the roller moves one-half its travel on the relatively stationary lower surface while the: relativelymovable upper surface rolls one-half' the travel 0n the roll-er; This: if ofcourse. obvious to Y rollers 14:.

one skilled in the art without further elaboration. Regardless of whether the coacting surfaces be formed as indicated in either Figure 3, t or 5 it is apparent that upon the occurrence of any force tending to move the car laterally with respect to the track, as for instance when passing around a curve or overa low spot in the rail, the body and truck bolsters may move as av unit laterally with respect to the truck, the curved or inclined surfaces moving with respect to the On account ofthe shape it is apparent that the bolsters and car body will be lifted with respect to the truck and side frames. This' lifting force works against gravity and lateral thrust and there is consequently a neutralization of the opposing forces so that shocks to the side frames and otherkparts are`absorbe-d and oscillation or rolling tendencies damped.

In Figure 6 I have shown diagrammatically the difference between the movement in a standard lateral motion roller device, such as the Barber type, and in the present device. Referring to this figure, the dimension f indicates the standard travel which is actually one inch, and the dimension g indicates the increase of at least one-half inch, obtained by my mechanism. The dimension 7L indicates the standard lift of three-sixteenths inch and z' represents the increase in the lift, actually about five-sixteenths of inch. The curve between the pointsal and 42 indicates the curve of the existing lateral motion devices, andl between the points 42 and 43 indicates the increase which is simply a straight line prolongation ofthe curve alongthe maximum safe angle. From a consideration of this figure it is apparent that Athe whole question involved is one of work done.

Obviously the work done during movement of the holsters for the increased distance and through the increased lift is greatly in excess of that accomplished by the ordinary arrangement.

VFrom the foregoing 'description and a study of the drawings it will bev apparent that I have thus-provided a greatly improved lateral motion deviceowhich on accountof the increase in travel and lift will possess char acteristics and advantages not heretofore contemplated, particularly as there vwill be a complete elimination of theshocks incident to the standard design and a marked damping of any tendency ofthe car to develop a roll or side sway. It is really believed that the construction, operation and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art without further explanation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the disclosure is merely an exemplification of the principles involved as the right is reserved to make `all such changes in the details of construction as will widen the field of utility and increase the adaptability of the device provided such changes constitute no departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

l. In a railway car truck, a lateral motion roller mechanism supporting the truck bolster for permitting movement thereof laterally of the side frames of the truck, and means for increasing the lift and travel as compared with accepted standards whereby to reduce the shock and effect damping of rolling tendencies of the car. f

2. In a railway car truck including side frames, truck springs within the side frames, seat members engaged upon the springs and carrying rollers, and a truc-k bolster engaged upon the rollers, curved and inclined surfaces on the seat member and bolster coacting with the rollers to produce lifting of the bolster upon the occurrence of lateral motion in either direction, said lifting being to a greater extent thanv is accomplished by correspond#- ing mechanism of accepted standard design.

3. In a railway car truck including side frames, truck springs within the side frames, seat members engaged upon the springs and carrying rollers, and a truck bolster engaged upon the rollers, curve-d and inclined surfaces yon the seat member and bolstercoacting with the rollers to produce lifting of thebolster upon the occurrence of Vlateral `motion in either direction, said lifting` being to a greater extent than is accomplished by corresponding` mechanism of accepted standard design, said surfaces having inclinations of maximum degree capable of having rolling engagement with the rollers whereby to prevent slipping.`

4. In a railway car truck including side frames, truck springs within the side frames, seat members engaged upon the springs and carrying rollers, and a truck bolster engaged upon the rollers, curved and inclined. surfaces on the seat member and bolster coacting with the rollers to produce lifting of the bolster upon the-occurrence of lateralk motion in either direction, said lifting` being to a greater extent than is accomplished by corresponding mechanism of accepted standard design, said surfaces being prolonged whereby the travel of the bolster will be increased beyond that of which standard designs are capable. Y j

V5. In a. railway car truck including side frames, truck springs within the side frames, seat members engaged upon the springs and carrying rollers, and a truck bolster engaged upon the roller, curved and inclined surfaces on the seat member and bolster-coacting with the rollers to produce lifting of the bolster upon the occurrence of lateral motion in either'direction, said lifting being to a greater extent than is accomplished by corresponding mechanism of accepted standard design, said surfaces having prolongations increasing the travel of the bolste-r, said surfaces being shaped to effect return of the bolster to normal central position upon the cessation of a force tending to produce lateral motion and having a plurality of line contacts with the. rollers when the bolster is in normal or centered position. e

6. In a railway car truck, a bolster, relatively stationary seats within the truck, seats on the underside of the bolster opposite the first named seats, and rollers interposed between the first and second named seats, certain of said seats having a formation providing a plurality of lines of contact with the associated roller when the roller is in intermediate position.

7. In a side bearing structure, opposed 90 curved bearing surfaces and a roller interposed therebetween, one of said surfaces being formed to provide two lines of contact with the roller when the roller is in intermediate position. Y

S. In a side bearing structure, opposed curved bearing surfaces with a roller interposed therebetween, one of said bearing surfaces having bearing portions intersecting other than tangentially to define a plurality :w of lines of contact with the roller.

9. In a side bearing structure, opposed seats with a roller interposed therebetween, one of said seats having its central portion curved and struck from an arc having a radius substantially the same as the diameter of the roller and having other portions merging into said central portion and of curved form with a radius greater than the diameter of the roller struck from a point 0E center with respect to the axis of the roller in normal or intermediate position, and further having inclined portions merging into said second named curved portions.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature.

THOMAS H SYMINGTON. 

